Vt. renewable energy fight delayed in Senate

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- The Vermont Senate is delaying a debate about a measure that one side says aims to strengthen reviews of ridge-top wind power projects and the other says would bring development of renewable energy in the state to a halt.

Senate Bill 30 is being pushed by critics of wind projects that they say have been damaging Vermont's mountaintops without significantly reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions. It would call for the Legislature's Joint Energy Committee to examine reports from an energy siting commission and the Department of Public Service and draft legislation for action next winter.

Meanwhile, for the next 15 months, the Public Service Board would shift the way it reviews renewable energy projects to give more weight to environmental criteria and less to the need for power.